After reading some of my recent essays about coaching, you might be interested in working with a coach. Awesome!

The problem is…how exactly do you find a coach? Today I wanted to share the four ways that I’d recommend:

1. Ask around.

Coaching is far more common than it used to be, so there’s a pretty good chance that someone you know has worked with a coach before. However, people may not always mention it in everyday conversation.

Ask around! A friend may have worked with a leadership coach at her job, for example, and that leadership coach may also do personal coaching. Or maybe that leadership coach knows a good personal coach or two. I worked with a fantastic coach years ago who my brother recommended.

2. Reach out to me.

In case you hadn’t realized, I’m a leadership and personal coach! As of this writing, I’m still taking on clients. If you’re interested in working with me, please feel free to reach out.

I’m also happy to give you some recommendations for other great coaches I know. I’ve referred family, friends, and even strangers on to great coaches that I trust and respect.

3. Check out a coach training program’s coach directory.

There is enormous variation in the field of coaching. Even among ICF-certified coaches (more on what ICF certification means here) there are many different types of coaches. For that reason, I would recommend being very particular about your coach’s training.

My personal recommendation would be to look for a New Ventures West-trained coach. You can see their directory of coaches here.

I feel strongly about New Ventures West because of their whole person — or “integral” — approach, and also the rigor, depth, and care that they bring to the coaching process. I consistently find that when I meet New Ventures West-trained coaches, even people I have never met before, I am impressed by their thoughtfulness and insight.

On a personal level, working with a New Ventures West coach in my early twenties was transformative for me, and I chose to train there because I was so impressed by their approach. When friends or family ask me for coach recommendations, I generally recommend New Ventures West-trained coaches.

4. Search on the internet.

You can also find a coach with a Google search. You might find a coach’s website directly, or a directory that lists coaches.

There’s also at least some coaches listed on Psychology Today (here’s my listing)and there are some dedicated coach-only websites like Noomii.com. Even Yelp has coaches!

Those can all be great resources, and I’ve certainly had many clients find me that way. However, it’s not my first recommendation because if you aren’t familiar with the field of coaching or what different types of training or certifications mean, you might not know what you’re getting. If you look for a coach in that way, I’d recommend being extra thoughtful about doing your research. I wrote a whole blog post about what to look for in a coach, which you can find here.